Back to the pit —
Now a roguelite, the game retains series' intoxicating combat and stylish flair.
This expedition, at least, promises success
One of the hallmarks of the first game was the way it made you sweat. It autosaved after every action you made—and after every tragedy that befell you. In XCOM terms, it was forced ironman. So when a character you spent hours upgrading over countless runs was one hit away from death, the tension was almost unbearable.
Darkest Dungeon 2 loses a great deal of this dread, and whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to you. Combat is still very difficult in Darkest Dungeon 2, but when you lose a character, it's gone for the rest of the run (though you can pick up a replacement if you make it to the next inn). If that death causes your team to spiral and everyone dies… well, you start over. The most you can possibly lose, if you’re doing one of the longer runs, is a few hours of your time—and you’ll still come out the other side with resources to buff up later runs.
This is, of course, how roguelites work, but it’s difficult to not feel that something fundamental about the game has been lost with this shift. For many fans of the original game, it will be enough to turn them off entirely. It could be that the people most enthusiastic about the previous game are the ones most likely to be turned off by the sequel.
Personally, though, I kind of love that I can boot up the game, engage in its excellent combat, and not have to worry so much. If I lose—ah, well, better luck next time. I don’t have to train up a new recruit from scratch—a somewhat exhausting affair—or put another one of my veterans in harm’s way.
Still, the game is in an undeniably awkward spot. Even the shortest runs can last a couple of hours, and because in-run progression is fairly slow, longer runs feel more satisfying. But the promise of most roguelites is that you can build a satisfying run in an hour or less. With Darkest Dungeon 2, you’ll need to either clear out your schedule to finish a run in one go or save your game and return later—potentially several times. When you return, you may need to spend time fiddling in stats menus to figure out what the heck you were up to last time, making you feel much less connected to your runs.
It’s not often that a video game switches its genre for a sequel, and Darkest Dungeon 2’s mixed reaction over its early access period shows why. It was a bold move, though, and I respect it, though you should know I'm an absolute fiend for roguelites.
So yeah, I’m pretty hooked on Darkest Dungeon 2. If it had Steam Deck support, I'd be in real trouble (it's coming in the future, Red Hook, says). Yes, there are issues, and I don’t know how far into the end game it will keep me engaged. But the combat is so good, and the roguelite elements are enticing enough, that it has entranced me in the same way the first game did.
